President Trump Policy: Buy American And Hire American

President Trump has signed an Executive Order (“Buy American and Hire American”) on April 18, 2017, outlining that it shall be the policy of the executive branch to buy American and hire American. The Executive Order is aimed at promoting American industry and protecting it from unfair competition.

Hire American Policy – Key Features

Some of the key features of the Hire American Policy are as below:

• The Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Homeland Security have been directed to
  1. suggest reforms to the H-1B program to help ensure that H-1B visas are awarded to the most-skilled or highest-paid H-1B beneficiaries.
  2. propose new rules and issue new guidance, including those related to prevention of immigration fraud or abuse, to protect the interests of US workers.
• Executive has been directed to rigorously enforce and administer the laws governing entry of foreign workers into the U.S. This is aimed at creating higher wages and employment rates for US workers, and to protect their economic interests.

While the executive order does not directly propose any change in regulations, it does appear to set the ball rolling for changes in policies and procedures relating to the H-1B visa program specifically, and employment based immigration in general.

We continue to monitor all developments that could affect the both prospective employees and employers and will keep our readers updated.